Our Ref: DK/jh/gltr/feb 25  

 
4th February 2025

Dear Parent/Carer

I hope you and your family are well as we move towards the half-term holidays at the end of next week. The focus of this month’s update letter includes information on:

• Major events at Holyhead this February
• GCSE Options support and information for Year 9 parents/carers
• Safer Internet Day support, and guidance on online safety for parents/carers
• Upcoming dates to look out for during February, including Parents’ Evening changes

Major events at Holyhead this February - Sister Act and the School Ski Trip
We are proud to present the first school production since 2019 with the performances of Sister Act on Wednesday 5th February and Thursday 6th February. The evening shows will see doors open at 5.30pm with the show to start at 6pm prompt. If you are interested in attending, tickets are selling fast and are available for £2.50 via Parent Pay. 

February also sees a moment of Holyhead history as 40 students will be taking part in the school’s first ever Ski Trip to Piancavallo in Italy. We wish the staff and pioneering students a wonderful time away and hope they make memories for a lifetime during their time on the slopes in the Alps or on the coach journeys there and back!

Year 9 GCSE Options: How we will support students and parents/carers 
As we move into February, we begin the process of Year 9 students selecting their GCSE options subjects that they will study in Year 10 and 11. This will involve a range of opportunities for students and parents to get the information and guidance to make well informed decisions ahead of the deadline which comes at the end of the Spring term. 

For students, this information will involve:

• A GCSE Options launch assembly.
• Year 9 Subject Parents’ Evening will now take place on Thursday 27th February to avoid a clash with Ramadan. There will be additional information on GCSE Options as well as the chance to meet teachers.
• GCSE style ‘taster’ lessons in subjects during the week beginning Monday 3rd March.

For parents/carers, this information will involve:

• A GCSE Options Information presentation for parents/carers on Thursday 27th February during the Y9 Subject Parents’ Evening where parents/carers will be able to book a slot for a 20 minute presentation on the GCSE Options process from Mrs Denny and Mr Bowen followed by the opportunity to ask questions. 
• The 2025 GCSE Options handbook which includes key information on all of the subjects available.
• A dedicated Y9 GCSE Options section on the Parent Portal tab of the school website including subject specific short video guides on what to expect from each of the GCSEs.

NGRT Testing - Supporting students with reading
Students across Y7-10 will be sitting their second set of NGRT reading tests in English lessons over the next couple of weeks leading up to half-term. These tests are designed to measure reading ages and provide valuable data to help us to support students who are identified as needing more intensive interventions. These tests do not require any preparation other than for students to bring their chromebooks to lessons, and their scores will be compared against those from the initial set of tests at the start of the school year.

Safer Internet Day - Supporting parents/carers
Safer Internet Day 2025 takes place on Tuesday 11th February and the theme of February’s Safeguarding Newsletter produced by Mr Beale is supporting parents/carers with awareness of online safety. The Newsletter is available from the Safeguarding section of the school website and you can read it here.

West Mercia Police are also providing a number of free Exploitation and Online Safety Training one-hour sessions for parents to give themselves a head start in an ever-changing society when it comes to online safety. The sessions are all hosted on Microsoft Teams and can be booked via Eventbrite using the link here. 

The sessions will be taking place on:

• Friday 7th February at 10:00
• Tuesday 11th February at 10:00
• Monday 24th February at 19:00

February half-term Revision sessions: Year 11 and Year 13
We will be running a programme of revision and coursework sessions over the half-term holidays for Year 11 and 13 students from Monday 17th - Thursday 20th February. Students involved will receive consent letters and we ask that these are signed by parents/carers and returned by students before we break up for half-term. 

Parents’ Evening Calendar changes - Ramadan 
With the holy month of Ramadan set to take place through March, we have made some alterations to the calendar to ensure there are no clashes with Subject Parents’ Evening. As mentioned previously in the section on GCSE Options, the Year 9 Subject/Options Parents’ Evening has been moved forward from Thursday 20th March to Thursday 27th February, and the Year 12 Subject Parents’ Evening that was scheduled for Thursday 6th March has been moved back to Thursday 3rd April.

Key upcoming dates and events in February

• The Spring term Mock Exams for Y11/13 began on Monday 3rd February (until Tuesday 25th February).
• Sister Act School Production evening performances on Wed 5th/Thurs 6th February from 5.30 - 8.30pm.
• The Year 7 Subject Parents’ Evening is on Thursday 13th February from 4-7pm. 
• We break up for the February half-term on Friday 14th February at 3.15pm and return to school again on Monday 24th February at 8.40am.
• Year 9 Subject Parents’ Evening (plus Options Information talks) on Thursday 27th February from 4-7pm.

As ever, I thank you for your time in reading this letter and wish you and your family good health and fortune for the weeks ahead, including a peaceful half-term to come.

Yours faithfully,

Mr D Knox
Principal